Frost
by MyFictionalFantasy
Summary: Lucy, Gray, and Lyon are trained by Ur Milkovich, Earthland's strongest Ice-Make mage. When her Master dies, Lucy and Ur's other students part ways. Gray moves onto the Fairy Tail Guild, Lyon begins his training to become stronger, and Lucy is unwillingly turned toward a corrupt life full of evil doing. (Lucy POV)(Childhood to adulthood)(I do not own any of the songs used)
1. Stand in the Rain

**_Yes a new story, I still have a thousand other ones to finish but eehhh?  
_** ** _Hope you enjoy regardless  
_** ** _(This is a rewrite of a story I previously wrote, but with lots of changes - it's essentially a different story all together)_**

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 ** _Stand in the Rain~_**

 _She never slows down._

 _She doesn't know why but she knows that when she's all alone, feels like it's all coming down_

 _She won't turn around_

 _The shadows are long and she fears if she cries that first tear, the tears will not stop raining down_

She would never forget the sight of his claws, their darker than dark colour, the roughness that was present even in his luminous silhouette. She could see the jagged bumps, the callouses that looked as though they had been pieced together with only the thought of destruction in mind.

And destruct it did.

It hadn't been long, Lucy deducted. Even with her young mind she could sense the chaos that this attack was bound to end in. She could hear the screams; she knew she couldn't do anything. How could a helpless six year old stop _that_?

She couldn't remember how or when she had been torn away from her mother; she could just hear her mother screaming _run_ , the only voice that penetrated the air after that brief shout was the Beast's roar. She saw only her mother's face contort in pain as the Beast's claws closed in on her.

So, Lucy ran. She ran even when her legs were as lifeless as the bodies around her. She ran even when they crumbled like the buildings in her newly destroyed village. Unlike the buildings and the people, Lucy rose.

Rose and kept running.

She stared at the Beast's legs, at the muscles that rippled under the surface of his tough exterior. She skipped over it's arms, because she knew from the dainty scream that someone had been terminated by them. Her eyes moved to his head, where his coal eyes were enunciated by the two horns the curved over his thick skull.

She paused momentarily. Panting, she shot the last of her energy into her legs, where she felt the strain of them try and move again. She sprinted around a corner her eyes widening as her heart rate sped up even faster. She held a hand over her mouth, trying to silence her panting. But the Beast could smell her fear.

It turned slowly, and she let out a whimper, the Beast having known of her presence before it moved to face her. She swears she saw the mouth twitch, as if it was saving her for last.

 _I can't be the last…_

It moved it's hand faster than she could see, but part of her screamed at her to duck, she listened to it. It's hand swept over her head with a _whoosh_ , and Lucy was running again. Through the debris of houses, dodging fire and hiding in the smoke that had gathered; refusing to rise to the sky.

She heard the houses being smashed to pieces by the Beast, she tried not to scream, she tried her best to delude herself into thinking the Beast wouldn't find her.

Lucy stopped when the world around her went silent. Her ears tried to make sense of the noises; the crackling of fire, the distant crumbling of a building.

Then the roar sounded, the Beast's claw smashing into the space in front of her.

Lucy screamed, running to her right, slipping under a wooden beam and hurrying somewhere unknown. The Beast hadn't spotted her, she realised with immense relief. She collapsed onto her knees, holding her hands over her eyes as they burnt with tears, she didn't let them fall. _Not yet,_ she vowed.

She heard a crack and her neck snapped up, seeing a cautious boy with his hand on his lips, shushing her before moving his hand for her to follow him. She rose, looking behind her briefly before following.

She spied the back of his head, the dark blue hair, the soot that clung to his arms and neck. He moved into a corner, surrounded by a wooden structure that seemed sturdier than any other home in their village. He moved over, making space for her, and she moved, burying herself in the between the wall and the boy.

Lucy felt the exhaustion catch up to her, and she let her eyes close, not knowing if they would open again.

 _She won't make a sound_

 _Alone in this fight with herself and the fears whispering if she stands she'll fall down_

 _She wants to be found_

 _The only way out is through everything she's running from wants to give up and lie down._

She lived a short distance away, far enough away that her home wasn't jeopardised, but close enough that she could feel the magic power in the air. She heard the screams of buildings dissembling, heard the cries of innocent people as the things they held dear were ripped away from them.

Ur Milkovich walked in front of her pupil, her eyes accessing the damage and complete destruction that had occurred overnight. The last time she had been in this village she had been spending time with a sick friend, thinking it would be the last time they would see each other. Fortunately, the woman had recovered from her sickness almost unrealistically, but as Ur took in the complete eradication before her, she knew instantaneously that her friend could not have survived. The town had been a lively place, where products and resources had been almost free because most people in the town didn't have money.

It had been a place of happiness and giving.

Now she could taste the sorrow in the air, she could feel the abundant loss of lives.

Her disciple, a short tempered, stubborn kid, was unusually quiet. His normally boisterous and power-hungry thoughts were for once kept to himself. "What happened, Ur?" his voice was solemn, or as solemn as an eight year old could get.

"It's name is Deliora. It's a demon that's been causing a decent amount of trouble." She surveyed her surroundings once more. "We need to look for survivors, Lyon."

He nodded and they descended on the shattered town.

Ur moved towards the bigger pieces of debris, where people could take shelter. It was as she was lifting a wooden beam that Lyon called out to her. She looked over at the white-haired boy, shocked to see him and another kid helping a young girl walk towards her. She tilted her head at the sight of the boy, his near black hair and blue eyes standing out against his pale skin. She could feel the power inside him, she could imagine the potential, could imagine him harnessing it; using it to stop monsters like Deliora.

The boy looked at her curiously, as if sensing her own surprise. She shifted her attention to the girl. "Lay her here," the boys eased her onto the ground and Ur checked for a pulse, pressing her fingers to the girls throat. "She's alive, probably just unconscious." She held her hand out, "I'm Ur," the boy took it cautiously, grasping her hand surprisingly tight.

"Gray,"

"That's Lyon," he took a side glance at the boy to his left, nodding in a greeting. "Do you know her?" Ur asked, nodding at the girl.

Gray shook his head, "No, she stumbled into the same building as me last night; she crashed before I could really ask her anything."

Ur frowned, sweeping the hair out of the girl's face, her eyes widening as she took in the blonde hair, the heart-shaped face, the eyes that she knew were brown without having to have the girl be awake. She imagined her without the soot and dirt on her, without the scabbed hands and knees. " _Layla?_ " she whispered.

Gray and Lyon both looked at her funny, but she shook her head. "What did you say?" Lyon asked bluntly.

She shook her head, "No, it's nothing, she just reminds me of someone I used to know, is all."

 _Stand up when it's all crashing down_

 _You stand through the pain_

 _You won't drown_

When Lucy awoke, she could feel the snow against her face, her legs held around a waist while her arms wrapped around a neck, holding her in place. She lifted her head slightly, the snow covered ground hurting her eyes as her pupils took in the brightness.

"You've been out for a while," the woman's voice was strong, as if nothing could ever take her down. "How are you feeling?"

Lucy put her head down, ignoring the stares on her back. "Sleepy,"

She nodded, "We're almost home, so you can go back to sleep."

Lucy nodded, inhaling the woman's scent and immediately taking comfort in the cold, yet warm smell. _Like Mama…_

Her eyes drifted close. _Home?_

She hadn't thought she spoke out loud, but apparently she had and the woman chuckled sadly. "Unfortunately there wasn't much of your home left, so we're taking you somewhere new."

"The snow looks pretty, doesn't it?" Lucy whispered, wanting most just to lift her head, even though she couldn't find it in herself to move a single muscle, just so she could see the flakes of ice fall to the ground.

"Well there's a lot of snow where we're going, so I hope you don't get sick of it."

Lucy burrowed her head further into the woman's neck, trying to keep her nose warm. "I promise I won't." she blinked slowly, "Mama says I'm not supposed to break promises."

The woman was silent for a little while, her feet crunching on the snow as two lighter sets of footsteps followed behind. "I'm Ur."

"Lucy," she whispered, just loud enough for Ur to hear.

She felt a snowflake land on her cheek, it was colder than the others that had landed on her face, for some reason Lucy took comfort in it.

The snowflake did not melt.

 _And one day, what's lost can be found_

* * *

 **So what did you think?  
Let me know if you liked it or didn't, I'm open to any feedback  
Drop a review, they keep the fingers typing~  
Hope you enjoyed :)  
Until next time**

 **~MyFictionalFantasy  
**


	2. Human

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the songs in this FanFiction, all songs are owned by their respective authors.**

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 **Chapter two, hope you like**

 **Let me know what you think :)**

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Human

 _I can hold my breath_

 _I can bite my tongue_

 _I can stay awake for days_

 _If that's what you want_

When Lucy woke up again, she was not on Ur's back. She rolled over, looking around the room, taking in everything around her with uncertainty. Was this the new home? The room was spacious, and there was another bed in front of her; the sheets were dishevelled, suggesting someone had been sleeping there. In front of her bed sat a wooden dresser, surrounded by wooden walls and wooden flooring. She heard noise from under her, and concluded she was upstairs.

She pulled the covers off herself, putting her foot down on the floor and shuddering at the coolness of it. There was a lacrima clock on the dresser that read _10:03_. She moved to the door, wrapping her arms around herself as she tip toed down the stairs, only to be met with rambunctious laughter and noise.

On the last step, her foot made the stair creak and all heads turned to her. She paused, looking first at Ur, then the boy from the night before – clean of the soot and dirt – and another boy with lighter hair and darker eyes.

"It's good to see you're finally up," she looked back to Ur and smiled faintly.

She looked around the room, more wooden furniture, more wooden floors, more wooden walls. On the table they were seated at, lay a number of breakfast dishes. "I didn't know what you two ate, so I cooked everything." She laughed, and Lucy allowed herself a small smile. "Come on, sit down,"

The two boys dug in without hesitation and Lucy made sure everyone had food before she took her own. She stared at the one from the night before, blinking warily at the food coming out of his mouth. She turned her attention to her food, trying to ignore the off-putting slobbery. At least Ur knew what a knife and fork was.

"I'm Gray!" he yelled through a pancake. Lucy nodded, smiling as friendly as she could muster.

"Lucy," she made a display of cutting a pancake and putting it in her mouth with a fork. Gray seemed fascinated by this.

"I'm Lyon," she looked at the other boy, this time smiling more of a grimace.

"Still Lucy."

Ur smiled at her bacon, holding a large piece with her fork and chomping down heartily. She swallowed. "Lyon and I are going to be training for a little bit of today, is that alright with you two?"

Lucy put down her fork and Gray took the cue to gulp down his food. "What are you training in?"

"Well," she tilted her head. "I'm a wizard and Lyon is my disciple. I'm teaching him magic!"

Lyon burst into a grin. "Ur's the most powerful wizard ever, and one day I'll be even stronger than she is!"

Ur chuckled, "Now, now, Lyon."

Lucy was staring at Ur, she concentrated, then she could feel that same feeling her mother had. The one that was deep within someone's heart. Her mother had taught her how to feel it, and as Lucy looked at Ur, she could certainly feel it.

"What kind of magic?"

Ur took another bite. "It's called ice-make magic. It's a style unique to the user. So I have a type, Lyon has a type, Gray would have a type and you would have a type."

Lucy nodded; she could certainly sense the coolness radiating from her. _Not a cruel cold._

"Would you teach us then?" Gray's tone was overly enthusiastic, his tormented eyes holding a spark of excitement.

Lucy felt for a moment as though she was looking down at her body, rather than being in it.

 _"You have power in you, Lucy, the kind people get hurt for."_

It was her mother's voice, the sweet, soothing one she would always remember.

 _"You can't let them see it. Not until the time is right."_

 _When would that be?_ She found herself thinking.

 _"You'll be tested, Lucy. That's when you'll know."_

Then, all at once, she was thrown back into her body, Ur's strong voice replacing her mother's.

"I have to warn you, though; training with me will be hard."

 _I can fake a smile_

 _I can force a laugh_

 _I can dance and play the part_

 _If that's what you ask_

Lucy's teeth were chattering, the snow clung to her boots, and the wind slapped against her face. She knew her hands were red under the gloves Ur had given her – her nose felt as though it would snap off. Lyon seemed to be doing better in the cold – his shaking was still apparent, but he handled it better. Gray, on the other hand, was much the same as herself, clutching his jacket tighter around himself.

Lucy had never been around cold this intense. Sure her village had some very icy winters, but this cold made her bones ache. If it weren't for the layers Ur had rugged her up in, Lucy was sure she would have frozen half to death already.

Ur stopped, putting her hands on her hips and looking over the endless white snow. She turned back to them, grinning. "The first step to training with me," she ripped her jacket off, followed by her pants, "Is to strip."

Gray stared dumbstruck at Ur, his mouth wide open, and Lucy stared at the dark-haired woman, blinking several times before frowning. Ur presented herself in a meagre bathing suit.

Gray cried out in outrage, "You've got to be kidding me!" his cheeks were stained with red. He looked over at Lyon, to gauge his reaction. Lucy followed his sight, feeling her own cheeks heat up. "Now you're stripping too?!"

Ur laughed, and Lucy stared at her boot covered feet, wanting to smack herself in the head for agreeing to this. "If you want to control the cold, you need to become one with it."

"This is insane," Lucy whispered mostly to herself, but Gray nodded anyway.

"Fine," Gray mumbled, pulling his shirt over his head. "But this better not be some kind of joke!"

When Gray finished shredding his clothes, he wrapped his arms around himself, staring at Lyon who smirked.

"I already can control the cold."

Gray pointed an accusatory finger at him, the other wrapped around his torso, trying to gain some semblance of warmth. "You're shaking just as much as I am!"

Lucy felt Ur's gaze on her and sighed, peeling the jacket from her shoulder, then the long sleeved shirt, leaving her with just the singlet and pants she was wearing. Ur raised an eyebrow at her and Lucy ignored her warm cheeks, sliding the snow pants off, ignoring the sting of the snow. She pushed on the back of her ankle, watching her shoes slide off her feet.

"Happy?"

Ur nodded and grinned again. "Well, let's get started."

 _I can do it_

 _I can do it_

 _I can do it_

Lucy had blue fingers by the time they stopped atop a mountain. She was thankful for the socks on her feet at first, but the more they ran and pressed themselves into the snow, the soggier her socks had gotten. Lucy panted, the cold air on her lungs stung, but it was better than nothing.

She tried warming her hands up, blowing on them and rubbing vigorously, only to see white puffs of breath come out. Ur frowned at her and Lucy rose a brow at her, wondering what the older woman was thinking.

She took Lucy's hands in her own and Lucy gasped at the warmth of Ur's hands. She was sure if they were somewhere with a standard temperature, Ur's hands would be icy, but to Lucy, whose hands were colder than cold, it felt like hot water.

"That's strange," Ur mumbled.

"What's strange?" Lucy asked quickly, growing concerned.

"You shouldn't be cold."

Lucy glowered up at the woman, "What do you mean I shouldn't be cold? It's snowing."

Ur shook her head, "You should be cold, but not _this_ cold." Gray and Lyon, who were previously bickering, stopped, looking over in curiosity. "When a mage is in a place where the heat or cold is too much, there body takes in ethernano from the air and cools or heats the body. The stronger a mage is, the better they can do this."

She took Lucy's hands, lifting her arms and putting them under her armpits. "It doesn't matter how little magic you have, your body is still built to do this." She turned towards the boys. "give me your clothes, we need to keep her warm."

They boys did so hastily, and Lucy found her cheeks reddening with shame. "Sorry, Ur," she whispered.

Ur looked at her sadly, "It's not your fault, Lucy. Don't blame yourself."

Lucy kept her gaze down, to disappointed in herself to look at anything other than the old snow beneath her now covered feet. She put on the surplus of t-shirts and sighed, treading after Ur dejectedly.

"We should head back." Ur looked up. "There's a storm coming."

 _But I'm only human_

 _And I bleed when I fall down_

 _I'm only human_

 _And I crash and I break down_

The only thing Lucy felt was shame. It coursed through her being, and by the time they returned to the cabin, Lucy wasn't sure she was capable of feeling anything else.

The two boys continued their bickering, and Ur watched seemingly content, but Lucy could not bring herself to feel an ounce of happiness. She wanted to. She wanted to stay optimistic about the situation, but as she looked at Ur, really looked – the way her mother had taught her – she could sense the magic from within.

The worst part was that Lyon – whom she expected to have some sort of power – and Gray both had it. Gray had had the same amount of experience as her and the same amount of training, and yet she could still sense it from him. It wasn't anything in comparison to Ur's magic, but it had the same potential. What made her eyes water was when she looked in the mirror and could not find a thread of magic power.

She was laying in her bed when Ur walked into the room. She sat on the end of Lucy's bed in silence, possibly thinking about what to say. Lucy continued to stare at the wooden wall, focussed on the heat circulating the room. She did not look up when Ur began speaking.

"I had a daughter who was much like you, Lucy." She focussed on the blanket weighing down upon her chest. "Quiet, smart, didn't open up easily. But, unlike you, she had too much magic." Lucy moved her eyes to the mother, listening as she spoke slowly, "Her body couldn't support her magic, and despite all the help I got her, she was selected for a special facility, they told me they could help her. I believed them." Her voice died away, and Ur finally looked Lucy in the eye. "That was the last time I saw my baby."

Lucy saw the sadness, felt the change in the air as the room grew a degree colder. "What happened?" She wasn't sure it would help Ur, but her mother always told her to listen to others.

"Her body was too weak for the training and she died." Ur grew quiet, "I wasn't allowed to see her body." She wiped her tears quickly, before they could fall. She looked at Lucy with refreshed eyes. "The point is, Lucy, some of us are born with more magic and some with less. The amount you are born with does not determine your value." Her eyes were serious now. "But what you do with that power – that's what makes your worth."

"I don't understand."

Ur smiled. "You do not have to be the strongest mage if you have a heart that is pure. Power comes with risk, and having less power comes with a risk. Either way, there is going to be hardships. But, listen to me on this one Lucy; it is the intentions of the heart that determine one's strength."

Lucy did not understand most of what Ur had said, but she committed it to memory – knowing by the look in Ur's eyes that it was important.

"You probably won't get that now, but when you're older, I hope you look back and think, 'Hmmm, maybe that crazy woman wasn't too crazy after all.'."

Ur's grin was infectious and she found a laugh rumble out of her.

"You might not see it Lucy, but your magic is there."

"How do I know?"

Ur's grin turned into a tight lipped smile. "Well, I know one way."

 _I can do it_

 _I can do it_

 _I'll get through it_

Lucy sat in the snow for hours, her eyes closed – waiting until she could see something in the darkness of her mind. The image arrived three hours later. Lucy couldn't feel the water in her clothes or how the speed of the wind picked up.

She saw a key. It was gold. In her mind she reached for it, feeling it burn her hand when she touched it. The hand jolted away from it, before reaching for it once more. She paused voluntarily this time, her eyes staring in wonder at a great door, frosted over with chains and a great lock holding back whatever lay inside.

Lucy opened her eyes, feeling the cold wind slapping her, swaying her hair and making her body shiver.

The storm hit eight minutes later, while Lucy sat in shock, tears rolling down her cheeks for no real reason at all. The snow hit her face brutally, but she found herself unaware of it. She could no longer feel the warmth coming from the cabin. She was connected to the world in a way she hadn't thought possible; the cold seeped into her bones, she felt her bones were leaking into the cold. For the first time in her life she felt frozen – truly.

She did not move.

 _I can take so much_

 _Until I've had enough_

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 **Hope you liked the chapter, there's probably errors, please ignore them.  
Positive or negative feedback - I'm very open to criticism.**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter  
Drop a review, they keep the fingers typing.  
Until next time :)  
~MyFictionalFantasy**


	3. Breakaway

**Hello beautiful people**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter**

 **It was supposed to be out yesterday but life got in the way**

 **Hope you enjoy :)**

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 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own any of the songs used in this fic._

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 **Breakaway**

 _Grew up in a small town  
_ _And when the rain would fall down  
_ _I'd just stare out my window_

Lucy didn't train for the next month. Instead, as she had told Ur, she would be brushing up on her knowledge of magic itself. She was the youngest out of Ur's three disciples, she had less experience, and, as she pointed out to Ur, how was she supposed to wield something she knew nothing about?

Ur didn't like the thought of Lucy staying in the house by herself, but agreed on the terms that she, one, wasn't allowed to go outside, and two, was to be left with an ice-bat in case something happened. Lucy didn't want to face Ur's wrath by telling the woman that they lived on the top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere – in winter. The chances of Lucy being attacked by a stranger were significantly less than that of her being attacked by Ur.

But Lucy wisely kept that thought to herself and watched them all run up a mountain – of course, stripped to the bare minimum.

Ur was nice enough to give Lucy the key to the storage shed next to their little cabin, which was confirmed to have everything Lucy would need in it. She lit the gas lamp – she didn't want to try the lacrima lamp for fear of disappointing herself if it didn't work – and sat at the desk with a book titled: _An Introduction to the World of Magic: First Edition – The Basics_.

Besides the mouthful of a title, Lucy found she quite enjoyed the book. It elaborated more on what Ur had said about Ethernano, how wizards had magic containers in them – how if said containers were large enough, magic could be used. She discovered that everything had magic in it –even animals and plants – and despite the amount in a vessel, it was still existing.

Anyone could learn magic.

After the first book, Lucy delved deep into the literature around magic, she felt herself understanding it, thinking about it, feeling relief when she could ask Ur about something she didn't get.

When she had read enough down the stack of books – around three weeks into her escapade – she found a book simply titled: _One Magic_. One magic was amazing to Lucy. The mysteriousness of it captivated Lucy instantly; the origin of all magic. The book went on to question where magic came from, how it was integrated into everyday life. It told all of the advancements in magic – how the world had progressed. But the question still stood to Lucy; what was the root of all magic.

She spoke these thoughts to Ur at night, when Gray and Lyon where tucked into their beds, and Ur was sitting by the fire place. After the question was asked – what is the origin of magic – Ur looked sombre.

"I think… that the origin of magic is love." She pursed her lips slightly, "I think when you love something enough you are able to tear down every barrier in your way… I think that's how magic came to be."

"What about hate then? If love could make magic, why couldn't hate? Like good and evil."

"Good and evil is a very… broad term. How many bad guys think they're doing the right thing?" Lucy thought about many of the books she had read with her mother. "Only a handful know they're bad. It's those ones that are truly evil." Lucy nodded. "When you harness something pure to make it toxic, _you_ become toxic."

 _Trying hard to reach out  
_ _But when i tried to speak out  
_ _Felt like no one could hear me_

For the next week Lucy shifted her attention to ice magic in particular. It was a fairly basic concept, using Ethernano to shape and control the element of ice. The book went on to describe how it needed the same amount, if not more, mental strength than physical strength. It was a form of caster magic, which Lucy had figured out on her own, but could be used – if the wizard was powerful enough – to control living things.

When Lucy finished that particular book, she finally shifted her attention to the stack of books dedicated to Ice-Make. Ice-Make was broken down into two categories. Static and Dynamic. Static Ice-Make was non-moving – such as weapons and shields – whereas Dynamic Ice-Make was used to create animated ice sculptures, such as animals. It was normal for Ice Mages to perform both, but the majority of the time, as stated by the book, wizards stuck to only one form.

To Lucy, both forms impressed her equally.

With slightly clammy fingers, Lucy picked up the next book in the stack: _Ice-Make Magic – Beginners_. She flipped through the introduction, which mostly recapped what the last book had told her, and moved to the first chapter. It illustrated pictures of stances and drawings of spells and sculptures – before Lucy knew it, she was flipping the last page of the book.

She scowled to herself, pulling the pages until she was back to the first chapter. Reading it more carefully this time, she analysed the instructions and technique the author recommended. Taking it in she nodded to herself and exited the shed, and went back into the cabin, taking a glass and filling it with water. She checked the clock briefly, seeing that the other three had only been gone for an hour. She took the glass back into the shed, where she grabbed the book, and moved out in the open – she was not planning on telling Ur that she went outside.

She sat the book down, hesitating before putting it on top of her jacket so the pages wouldn't get soggy. She removed her layers until she was sitting in only a flimsy singlet. She put the glass in front of her and re-read the steps. _Mental strength,_ she told herself, nodding to psych herself up.

She started by staring at the water for twenty minutes waiting for something to happen. When nothing, did she scowled, ignoring her chattering teeth, and once again, re-read the first step.

 _Focus on the water, imagine it flowing freely, imagine the water coming to a stop; solidifying._

She closed her eyes, picturing the water sloshing around in the cup, she imagined the frost covering the top layer of water, moving further and further down until all the water was one big block of ice. Lucy opened her eyes, staring down at the water in distain.

She held her head with frosty hands, grumbling and cursing the water until she felt some semblance of calm within her. Breathing deeply, Lucy refocused her attention, staring at the glass with more intensity. She got to that same state of peace, imagining the glass freeze, imagined it turning as hard as a rock. She tried eleven more times before she got fed up and threw the glass at the cabin door.

The resounding smash was enough to make her want to smash her head into the door, but Lucy moved to the door, pausing when she looked down at the partially frozen water. It wasn't how Lucy imagined it would be, more of an icy slush. She felt herself become gleeful. A gust of snow stuck in her hair and her grin slipped off her face. She looked up to the sky.

"Are you KIDDING me?" she screamed to it. _Couldn't have one magical moment, had to be a damn blizzard that froze my water._

Glaring, she stepped over the glass and stomped into the kitchen for the broom.

When Ur came home that afternoon, the whole household was shocked to find an inexplicably irritable Lucy.

No one dared to ask the blonde what was wrong.

 _Wanted to belong here  
_ _But something felt so wrong here  
_ _So I prayed I could break away_

For the remainder of her literature filled adventure, Lucy sat outside with her glass of water (no other glasses were intentionally broken during this time), in the near nude, with a book sitting on a pedestal of clothing. Two failure-filled days passed since her first initial failure – which included Lucy usually getting too angry to continue – before Lucy saw progress.

It wasn't anything amazing, and it was less significant than an ice cube. It was just a single layer of ice that had frozen over the top of the water. It was difficult for Lucy to do, reducing her to a splitting headache and a cold sweat. Regardless, Lucy was immensely proud of herself.

It was a shock for the others when they returned and found Lucy in a chipper, unfocused mood. They were all used to her either face deep in a book or huddled in bed with a dark cloud looming over her. So when they arrived home after a particularly hard day of training to find Lucy sitting at the table with a board game set up and a grin stretched ear to ear, none of them really knew what to think.

It was Ur who broke the shocked silence by asking in her normal stern, excited voice, "So what're we playing?"

The next day, instead of taking just over an hour, Lucy frosted the top of the water in under ten minutes. It was easy now that she knew what she was looking for. It was strange when she thought about it in depth. It was like a string, she supposed. It was light blue, and like a thread that held the hem of her shirt together. She had to pull at them slowly (she had only tried it slowly out of fear of messing it up catastrophically), and then stop right when there was just enough ice.

It was impulsively that had her pulling the strings as far they could go as fast as she could. She moved her hands this time, instead of leaving them in her lap, as if maybe she could direct where she wanted the ice to go. She was about to begin when she flipped through the book quickly. She looked at the illustration of the right hand on top of the left, in a fist. Mimicking the action, she moved her hands into the position and refocussed on those little strings.

Then she pulled them with as much force as she could.

The reaction was instantaneous, and scared the living crap out of her at the same time. She heard the glass shatter and pulled her head to the side reflexively, closing her eyes. she peeked them open a few seconds later and stared blankly at the glass, blinking.

"What?"

The glass had shattered, Lucy concluded. But she had also frozen the water. And the glass as it exploded outwards. She stared at the block of ice, it was shaped like an ice-cream cone, where the glass wasn't cracked at the bottom, but froze outwards as it neared the top. Lucy was very confused.

She remained with the shattered yet frozen glass until Ur returned, scared, that if she left it, it would melt. Ur returned thirty minutes later, having cut practice short in favour of not getting swept away by the snow storm on the horizon. Gray and Lyon looked at her a little funny when they saw her dressed in nothing sitting next to a book, but both said nothing of it and ventured inside.

Ur walked over to Lucy and the blonde turned sheepish. "What did you do?" Ur's voice became more stern than usual.

Lucy twisted her fingers, looking side to side. "I don't really know?"

Ur sighed. "Let me see."

Lucy side stepped, showing the remainder of the glass to Ur. Ur's eyebrows rose, her mouth opening, ready to say something, before she looked at Lucy angrily, "Is this where all my cups are going?"

Lucy looked down, "I only meant to brake the first one." She said in defence. Ur looked at her in disbelief. "Wait! Wait! No, that's not what I mean!" she slapped her own face. "I threw the first one because I got angry and forgot that glass breaks." Ur's lips twitched. "The second one fell from the cupboard when I tried to get another one, and then there was this one." She pointed to her left.

"While I am very upset about the cups, I am impressed." Lucy beamed. "Whether you meant to or not, you froze the water too quickly and broke glass, but froze the glass in place with the water that was in there." Ur smirked. "You still need to practice your control, but I'm proud to say Lucy, you're officially a wizard."

Lucy's grin didn't leave her face. "Inside?"

"Inside."

They opened the door, ignoring Lyon and Gray's bickering.

"Oh, and Lucy," said girl looked at Ur inquisitively. "Plastic cups from now on."

 _I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly  
_ _Do what it takes 'til I touch the sky_

For the next two weeks Lucy began training with Ur, Gray, and Lyon. She felt more comfortable now, having built up a slight resistance to cold – most of it was actually her stubborn side not allowing her to feel the chill, though – and was keeping up with everyone. It felt good, like she wasn't a burden. She still felt more or less weak compared to her fellow peers, but she didn't feel like she was being held back.

She felt fearless.

But that crumbled away when Ur asked them to make an ice shield. Lucy felt panic building within her. She knew she wasn't ready for that, hell – she couldn't even freeze water without it turning disastrous.

Ur showed the hand technique once more, her fist resting in her hand, she called out her spell and Lucy watched in awe as a shield twice the size of Ur formed. It was white in colour, with hues of pink, and had segments stemming from the centre.

Lyon copied Ur's technique and produced a shield too. It wasn't nearly as large as Ur's, but it would protect him. Gray followed in suit, he was also successful. Lucy studied the difference between the two shields. Where Lyon's was greener, Gray's was a light blue. Gray's stemmed from the bottom, whereas Lyon's was hexagons that joined together.

Ur smiled at Lucy, encouraging her to do the same. The woman must have seen the scepticism written across Lucy's face. "Remember, Ice-Make is moulding magic. It's exclusive to you. I can teach you the basics, but it's up to you to develop your style. You all have the skills and potential to do it. Don't forget that."

Lyon was smirking, Gray didn't look nearly as sad as usual, and Lucy found herself grinning a small smile. She put her hands together, calling out the chant, and pulling on those strings not too quickly. Stopping short before it would explode, she moved her hands and looked at the shield in front of her. If you could even call it that. It covered the lower half of her body, and was once again different to Ur's, Gray's and Lyon's. It presented itself with a golden-yellow hue, and looked like leaves overlapping each other. She frowned at it while Ur congratulated her. She didn't feel impressed by it.

The same routine continued for the next five weeks. Unbeknownst to Ur and Lyon, Lucy would sit outside most night, finding that dark space within her. She would grasp at the threads and follow them. When she saw the large caged off doors, she ignored the apprehension she felt. She picked up the key lying next to her, the coolness of it no longer burning her hand.

She ignored the abyss in her mind, focussing on the door with the mighty lock. She reached it within seconds, nearing the key closer and closer to the slot that would release whatever was behind those doors.

 _"Not yet,"_ It was her mother's voice. _"Be patient, Lucy – now is not the time."_

Every night she would hear those words, move from the snow laden ground, and sneak back into the bedroom where Gray would sit waiting for her. She would let out her routine hush and they would both fall asleep.

 _Take a chance  
_ _Make a change  
_ _And break away_

* * *

 **Ta-da _!_ Hope you enjoyed. I felt like this chapter jumped around too much, but I didn't want to do a hefty time skip because I personally think they're awful. I really just want to get the training chunk out of the way without dismissing it, I'm really sorry if that made this shitty.**

 **Next chapter will hopefully be longer, with more dialogue and a bit of bonding :)**

 **Anyhow, hope you enjoyed the chapter  
Leave a review, they keep the fingers typing  
Until next time :)  
~MyFictionalFantasy**


	4. Truce

**Hello, I am back, hopefully for good.**

 **I've had probably the worst year of my life but here's to saying it's almost over?**

 **Thank you all for being patient with me on all the stories I've written**

 **xxx**

* * *

 **Truce**

 _He wakes up early today_

 _Throws on a mask that will alter his face_

 _Nobody knows his real name_

When Lucy looked at the calendar in Ur's kitchen, her eyes opened wide in shock, her mouth gaping slightly. She pursed her lips in a childish pout. The attack on her village had happened shortly after the celebration of the New Year. It was now late June.

Lucy looked around the cabin, knowing she was familiar with it, but not realising that she had in fact been living with Ur, Gray, and Lyon for over half a year.

Lucy turned away from the calendar and made her way outside. Ur was teaching the boys, who, according to the woman, were progressing greatly. Lucy was accustomed to watching now. While the boys had expanded their attacks and defences, Lucy was still stuck on Ice-Shield. She knew she could do better, she knew _how_ to perform other things, but couldn't.

All for the simple fact that her magic power wasn't strong enough.

She was still weak.

Lucy abandoned the toxic train of thought before it consumed her, instead, she walked over to her housemates and handed them each a sandwich, followed by a cup of water. They were chatting about their training, their progress, all the works, and Lucy allowed herself to drift away from the conversation – it's not like she could've been a part of it anyway.

Still, Lucy listened to all the words that left Ur when she spoke about magic, committing them to memory if the day ever arose that she needed her magic, or – better yet – could use it. When their conversation was reaching its end, Ur changed the topic, explaining that, because of small kids with big appetites, they would need to go into town to buy more food.

"You alright?" Gray asked her.

Lucy smiled and nodded.

He was still the glum kid he always was. They had all grown closer – it was hard not to when they all shared a room – unluckily for Gray and Lyon, that meant a bed too. Gray was almost as quiet as her, the only one that could really make him talk was Lyon, and only when it involved angering Gray. But Lucy was happy just watching their bickering, she never agreed or disagreed with what they were saying, and couldn't bring herself to throw insults back.

They were her friends, knew that they regarded her as their friend. Why would they insult each other if they were friends? Lucy didn't really understand the dynamics of their relationship, didn't know if she wanted to.

When they each were fed and dressed, they began the lengthy march down the mountain. It took them forty minutes and Ur breaking up six fights to get to the base. The walk to the town was an additional thirty minutes, and they arrived just after lunch time.

Ur split away from her three pupils, in search of food, while Lucy found herself sitting on a stone wall with Gray and Lyon. She listened with a small smile as he went on another power rant.

"One day I'm going to surpass Ur! That's my dream, to one day be stronger than she is! Say, how long do you think that will take?"

Gray rolled his eyes and Lucy fought not to giggle. "We know already, now shut up about it, you're getting annoying."

Lucy watched the smile drop from his face. She elbowed Gray's ribs and ignored the scowl he sent her way, quipping in, "I think it'll take a while, Ur's nothing to laugh at, she's very strong. But you'll get there one day."

Gray crossed his arms, "I don't care about surpassing Ur and all the other crap you say, all I care about is defeating Deliora. If I can get strong enough to do that then bye-bye Ice Witch."

Ur slapped his head, snarling, "Who are you calling a WITCH, you brat!"

Gray glared at her, "When are you going to start teaching us powerful magic?" he sneered.

Lucy watched Ur's face become tired. "I already am, Gray."

Gray rolled his eyes, "What's so powerful about Maker Magic, it won't do anyone any good."

Ur sighed, "How many times do I have to tell you, maker magic is about creative freedom, when you find your style, you can be as strong as you like." She picked up the grocery bags, and started walking. "You're all on the verge of doing that, if you keep practicing you'll come to understand what I mean."

Lucy watched Gray tsk, following after Ur. She saw his jacket fly off, then his shirt, and felt a blush creep up her neck, "Gray, what are you doing?" Lucy's voice had risen to the level it was when she threw tantrums, Gray turned and frowned at her, and Ur turned around, wide eyed and gaping.

"GRAY, we're in PUBLIC! Put your clothes back on!"

Gray looked down and gasped, cheeks reddening instantaneously. "NOW I HAVE THIS WEIRD HABIT COS OF YOU!"

Ur became offended, jaw dropping in shock, "DON'T TRY AND BLAME THIS ON ME!"

Lucy and Lyon began laughing when the two began bickering. Gray put his clothes on and began grumbling incoherently. It took them another half an hour before they were going up the mountain, and Lucy still couldn't keep her giggles in check.

"You're gonna have this for the rest of your life, I bet." She snickered. It was the first time she had teased him. She understood it, why it was fun.

"Shut up, I will not."

"What happens when you're getting married and you strip your tux in the middle of the ceremony?" Lucy had to cover her mouth.

Gray grumbled something under his breath, and then Lyon joined in. it was fun, Lucy was grinning. She hadn't felt this happy in a long time. By then they had gotten halfway up the mountain, they were all laughing at Gray – who was, of course, grumpy, but Lucy could tell he wasn't too annoyed by it. He lagged behind them a bit, probably so they'd forget he was there and stop talking about him, still, Lucy would turn around to make sure he was still following after them.

Ur waved at a carriage driver, Lucy smiled when she saw the horses pulling it along and wished she was tall enough to pat them. They kept walking up and up and up the mountain, they were three quarters of the way up and Lucy's legs were on fire.

She looked over her shoulder and found Gray paused, staring at the ground in front of him in confusion. "You coming, Gray?"

His head snapped up at her voice and she paused as he caught up to her, "You alright?"

Gray nodded. Lucy frowned. _Strange_ she thought.

 _And he pretends he's okay, but you should see_

 _Him in bed, late at night, he's petrified_

Gary was acting strange for the rest of the day. He didn't respond to Lyon's taunts, took a longer time to respond to questions – if he realised he was being spoken to at all. Lyon and Ur put it off as the embarrassment of stripping in public, but Lucy knew something was wrong.

She didn't know if it was a gut feeling or if it was something in the way Gray's face seemed _different_. She had already pestered him a thousand times with 'Are you ok?' and didn't feel like she was getting anywhere with it. Despite what he said, Lucy could just tell he wasn't.

She stared at him shamelessly, ignoring the scowl on his face whenever he looked up at her. Lucy concluded that it was his eyebrows. His eyebrows were telling her something was wrong. It was the way they furrowed just slightly more than usual, how it made it look like there was something happening in his head. Something big.

"Stop staring at me, Lucy."

Lucy didn't stop. Sure, it seemed to anger him a little more, but that was beside the point. "I will when you tell me what's wrong."

Gray tsked and turned away from her, continuing to stare at his book even though they both knew there wasn't any reading happening. He hadn't turned a single page in the last hour.

He frowned and got off the bed, he looked at Lucy guiltily, "Sorry,"

Lucy frowned herself, and followed him when his face set with determination and he marched down the stairs. "Gray," she called, matching her pace, "Gray, what are you doing?"

She saw Ur stand from the corner of her eye, then Lyon.

Gray threw on his coat and ripped open the front door.

"Gray, where are you going?" Ur's voice was panicked, slightly louder than it usually was.

"Brago."

Ur looked as though she had eaten something bad. "What's in Brago, Gray?"

He began walking, his feet crunching on the snow. "I'm going to kill it."

Lucy felt something hit her stomach, watched Ur speed to the front door, "Deliora is too powerful, Gray, you won't stand a chance!"

Gray didn't look back, "If I die, it's on you, you should've taught me stronger magic."

"Gray, this is suicide, you need to come back inside, you're not strong enough yet!"

He turned around. It was the first time Lucy saw the anguish in his eyes. He had kept it hidden in the past, under the layers and layers of anger and pretentiousness, but now there was nothing there to hide it.

Hair flying in the snowy wind, Gray spoke once more. "That thing killed my family, if I don't stop it, who will?"

Ur was panicking, Lucy could see that, although the woman looked as level headed as she always did. Lyon looked indifferent, which didn't surprise Lucy, he always seemed like he could be more ruthless than everyone else. She caught the gleam of tears in Gray's eyes, opened her mouth to try and convince him to stay but found no words coming out.

"There are other ways to go about this. Come inside, we can make a plan, train some more and go after him when we're all ready." Ur perched herself on the door. "There's strength in numbers, Gray."

Gray turned around once more and continued walking. Lucy move to run after him but Ur grabbed her shoulder before she could make it past the door. Ur shook her head.

"If you leave you're no longer my student!"

"Fine by me!"

 _Watch this man as we know_

 _Do me a favor and try to ignore_

 _As you watch him fall through a blatant trapdoor_

Lucy sat on the floor in the living area, her hands were shaking and she felt like crying but she held them back. She knew in her heart that she would never see Gray again; past the optimistic part of her and into the side that was to young to be a realist. Gray would die. He would be murdered at the hands of that monster and it would be the destruction of her village all over again.

Gray and Lucy were the only survivors, if he died that would make Lucy the only one. She did not want to be alone.

Lyon was in the upstairs room, probably sleeping, maybe feeling remorse, but maybe not. Lucy had no idea. She knew he and Gray didn't get along but she had expected more sympathy from the white-haired boy.

Ur was sitting at the dining table, tea in a mug that had long gone cold. She was thinking, brooding, hadn't spoken since they had lost sight of Gray and had ventured back inside. Ur looked troubled, it was the first time Lucy had seen the woman express something like that so openly. It suited her. The calculating look, not the sorrow.

She put the cup down. It tapped against the wooden table, but it was the only sound in the emptiness of the house. Sighing, Lucy watched her stand. Their eyes met and Lucy saw the resolve in them. "Grab your jacket, Lucy. And Lyon." She looked outside, where they had last seen Gray. "We need to go now."

 _Cause nobody knows he's alive_

* * *

 ** _Let me know what you're thinking, how you liked it, it's shorter than I hoped for but it's here and I'm hoping that's enough?_**

 ** _Leave a comment, they do keep the fingies typing (even if it took a while for the fingies to type)_**

 ** _Hope you enjoyed :)_**

 ** _~MyFictionalFantasy_**


	5. When I'm Gone

**I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, to be honest**

 **some part of me likes it and the other part not so much**

 **Let me know what you think**

 **hope you enjoy~~**

* * *

 **When I'm Gone**

 _Dusk will come with fireflies and whippoorwill and cricket's call_

 _And every star will take its place_

 _In silvery gown and purple shawl_

The second time Lucy saw Deliora the fear had grown. Her hands were shaking beyond her control, the tears in her eyes blurred her vision – they didn't fall but they may as well have. Ur was fighting, Lucy never wanted to say she had doubted Ur's power, but seeing it in action was a sight to behold. There was nothing restrained. No hesitance, no need to hold back. Deliora was a demon, and Lucy was positive that Ur could be the one person to stop him.

Lyon ran beside her, both of them trying to find Gray with the same urgency. Lyon hadn't been sold on the idea at first, but after finally seeing the destruction Deliora was capable of, he had snapped out of his stupor. They either ran to find Gray, or they ran from Deliora's attacks; Lyon quickly decided that he was better off searching for his fellow disciple.

They had been searching for hours, with no sign of him. Lucy was afraid. She was terrified that Gray was dead, that Ur would die, and so would her and Lyon. There was nothing in her mind that told her things would be ok. She knew there was no real possibility of everyone getting out alive. Not with Deliora, not with the power he had.

Lucy just hoped that Ur could hold him off until they found Gray.

Until then, they would keep searching.

"Lucy!"

Her head snapped to Lyon, who was knelt down, a body in front of him. Her legs sped up until she was shaking Gray's shoulder. His face was bruised and caked with dirt, his body much the same. "Gray—Gray, wake up, Gray!"

Lucy's tears fell when his eyes squinted open, a cough splitting from his chest. Relief. There was so much to feel, but Lucy focused on the relief. Gray was alive, Gray was alive, if they got back to Ur, they could go home and they could continue living and training.

"Thank God, Gray!"

He didn't meet her eyes, but they welled with tears. "I thought I could beat him, I really did. I'm sorry…"

Lucy shook her head, "All that matters is that you're alive, we need to get back to Ur…" She pulled him up, "Do you think you can walk?"

Gray nodded, still though, he had an arm over her and Lyon's shoulders as they helped him back.

They could see Ur, her attacks combatting against Deliora's, they were almost with her when Deliora turned towards them. They all shrunk back. Ur realised a moment to late as Deliora sent an attack directly towards them.

Lucy froze. Her body locking up on her as she managed to turn and shield Gray. She heard Lyon shout for a shield and peaked over her shoulder when the magic never hit them. Ur went on the offense, sending spell after spell towards the demon, trying to no doubt distract him.

Lyon crumbled to the ground, his breathing harsh as he panted. Lucy nodded her appreciation and the white-haired boy nodded back tiredly. They didn't speak, but Lucy knew that he would do it again if he needed to. In battle, there was no brashness, he would protect them because past his selfish façade, Lyon respected them. Lucy was grateful beyond words.

She set Gray down, letting a piece of house debris support his weight. If they tried to get any closer to Ur, Deliora would attack them. There was no way Lyon had enough magic left to defend them from another attack. Gray was running on empty and Lucy couldn't even create a shield big enough to protect her head.

There wasn't much hope for them. Lucy wasn't strong. She didn't have any power.

She looked over her shoulder as she dragged Lyon to slump on the rubble with Gray, staring at a padlock that was on the wall behind them. The locked door in her mind flashed before her. The key that was there to unlock it all. She reached for it, numbly, her hand closing around it, the coolness making her arm cold – still though, that cold comforted her.

 _"Not yet Lucy."_

"LUCY!" Her head snapped to Ur, her eyes looking towards Deliora instinctively. There was a smirk on his face; something akin to recognition passed through his features, almost like he remembered her. Almost like he was letting her know she wouldn't survive this one. Lucy slammed her eyes shut. She had to protect Gray and Lyon. They were her only family left, they were counting on her.

If she didn't do anything now, then they would die. Lucy didn't want blood on her hands, not when there was a part of her that knew she could defend them from what was coming.

 _I'm sorry..._

In the span of a second the key was jammed into the lock deep within her. The chains around the gate crumbled and the door opened. Power filled her to the brim, seeping out of her pores. Lucy felt radiant, like she was flowing from within.

Deliora fired at her, she watched the attack come closer and closer.

 _Dread the dark and dread the dawn_

 _But you'll be alright on that first night when I'm gone_

"Ice-Make: Shield!" Lucy slammed her hands into the ground, pouring the unfamiliar strength into the magic escaping her. She watched golden petals reach high above them, felt the attack hit and focused on keeping her shield up. If she failed they'd die. Lucy had to protect her friends. Her family.

The ice dissipated with the attack, but Deliora's interest was piqued. Ur's attacks hit him, but he was unfazed, uncaring as his eyes settled on Lucy alone. Power was still radiating through her, somehow the magic in her body was endless. At least it felt that way.

Deliora was walked towards her, re-crushing buildings and homes; lives that were now gone. Lucy could imagine him laughing. Lucy had no training, no style, nothing to base any attacks on. Ur said when they were strong enough they would find their style – was she strong enough? Did she have the ability to mould or was she simply not ready? _"It's called Ice-Make. It's unique to the user."_

What was unique to Lucy? Gray loved weaponry, Lyon had already discovered his as animals. Ur and Gray used static, Lyon was a dynamic type. But there was no time to think about it.

Her shield was petals. Lucy though back to a book she had read on flowers, all the different types and how they grew and survived. It all clicked in her head. Her hands began moving, casting the spell that came out of her mouth without hesitation.

"Ice-Make: BLUE BELLS!"

They rose up behind her, more than a hundred of them, each rising from their slouched position, raising their blossoms at Deliora. Lucy didn't know what would happen, but she trusted her magic, she trusted it enough to relax, knowing that even if this attack had her spent, she would have protected Lyon and Gray to the best of her ability. The blue bells all acted as one, simultaneously shooting thorns at the demon. They soared through the air, sailing towards and unprepared monster. The first wave hit him, then the second, when the third had struck him, his arms were up around his face.

Lucy fell back, landing on the uneven ground as she panted. Deliora screeched, loud and sharp as a beam of magic shot directly towards her. Lucy's body couldn't move, her arms tired and her body aching. This was it. This was how she'd die. By the hands of the demon that killed her parents. She closed her eyes and waited. She waited and waited and when her eyes peeled themselves open, Ur was in front of them.

Saving them like she always had.

"Ur? Why'd you come back? I thought I wasn't your student anymore."

Lucy looked at Gray, watched him crawl forward, Ur turned, smiling, thinking, "A friend of mine said something to me... She told me that it was time to find my own happiness. It was strange because I've never thought of myself as unhappy – why would I? I have three beautiful students who I watch grow each day, what more could I want?"

Lucy watched Gray crawl forward more, she grabbed his arm. He looked at her in confusion as she shook her head. Things weren't going to plan, Ur was growing more and more exhausted and if she kept going they wouldn't make it out. Lucy found more tears cascading down her face. There was a feeling of dread in her gut.

"There's nothing in this world that would make me happier."

Lucy looked at her teacher. Her eyes were softer than she had ever seen them, her face calm and rational. Lucy found the love towards Ur growing. Ur had saved her. Ur had given her a home, had given her knowledge, Ur had given her power. Ur had given her everything, without her, she wouldn't be alive.

"Your leg—"

Ur smiled. "My maker magic came in handy, huh, Gray?"

Gray's shoulders were shaking, his eyes leaking as he sobbed. Lucy wanted to hug him, wanted to be able to tell him that things would be ok. But Ur was saying good-bye. Not in those words, but Lucy was able to read between the lines.

"I vowed I'd free you from the darkness, Gray, and if that means killing this monster, then so be it." She turned, walking towards Deliora. "But you three need to get out of here so I can."

Gray stood up. "NO! We're not leaving you! It's my fault all of this happened!"

Lucy couldn't speak. The words on her tongue were stuck there, jamming her throat. Shw couldn't breathe, she couldn't think. Everything was happening all at once, she could feel the danger in the air, knew bad, unchangeable things were moving into place.

"No one's at fault, this is just one of those things we have to do in order to be happy again."

Gray crumpled in defeat, his cries growing louder. Lucy couldn't hear her own crying, but she was too focussed on the world around her to listen for herself. Ur was leaving, she wouldn't come back this time. Lucy could feel it. Lucy would lose her too.

"Wait, Ur,"

Ur turned back around. "Lyon? I need you to get out of—"

"You're gonna beat it right? You're talking like you're not coming back."

"Lyon, let her go…" Lucy whimpered. Her words were scratchy and hoarse, she was surprised Lyon heard them in the first place.

"Shut up!" He snapped. "You can defeat it no problem, you're the strongest wizard around, that thing's no match for you."

Ur sighed, "How many times am I going to have to tell you? There will always be something more powerful."

Lyon gaped at her. "That can't be true—"

"In the western countries, there are many wizards more powerful than me."

"That's not true, it can't be. Its not true, because you're the strongest. Why else have I been training with you all this time?"

Ur sighed. "One day you'll surpass me, and when that day comes, I hope you're able to dream bigger, Lyon."

Lyon started shaking, rising to his feet as though Ur was a challenger. "I studied with you because I thought you were the best. If you let that monster defeat you then you'll prove me wrong." Lyon's fists shook, it was the first time she had seen him angry. "Don't betray me, UR!"

"Lyon—"

Lyon ran forward, Gray and Lucy both fell forward to stop him, but he was too fast.

"If you're not going to give it your all then I will!"

He skidded to a stop, leaning heavily on one leg as he shot his hands in front of him, one crossing over the other. Lucy's eyes went wide. "No…"

Ur's thought process matched Lucy's. "That stance! Lyon! Where did you learn that?"

"Iced-shell…" she mumbled in disbelief. She had read about it when she was reading up on ice magic, never did she think she'd see someone perform it. The stakes were too high, too much was riding on Lyon. There was too much that went wrong and too much that would be lost when the spell reached completion. "Lyon! STOP!" Lucy tried. She couldn't let him do this. There was no way she could let him do it.

It was suicide.

There was no way he knew what it really did, there was no way – Lyon would never cast it if he knew what it would do to him. He was too far in his head to care about anything except self-preservation. Lyon wasn't the person that would sacrifice himself for others.

Lucy watched a magic circle spread underneath him. He was really doing it. The fear in her heart doubled, tripled. He needed to stop. He needed to stop because there was a life worth living, and if Lyon followed through, it would be gone forever.

"Where you ask? Since you didn't want to teach us powerful magic, I snuck into the storage space and read every single book! You hid spells like Iced-Shell from us because you were scared, isn't that right?"

"Did you bother to read it all the way through?" Lucy yelled. There was no way he did.

"Do you know what happens to the caster!?" Ur finished.

"Is he going to be ok?" Gray asked. Lucy couldn't tell him the truth. Couldn't find the words in the frenzy of disbelief that crowded her mind.

"Answer, Lyon!"

A ball of light erupted from Lyon. Lucy watched Deliora turn to them. "Magic's not strong enough to kill Deliora but Iced-Shell will seal it for eternity."

Lucy watched Ur move. It was fast and caught Lyon off guard when she cast her magic. She gasped as Lyon became encapsulated in her teacher's ice. One part shock, the other relief.

"I can't let him do that." Ur said softly.

"Why is it bad?" Gray asked.

"When the spell is cast, the caster's body becomes the ice itself."

Lucy put her head down. Some part of her knew what was coming. Lyon was right, magic wasn't enough for something like Deliora.

"It is the only way, though. I'm surprised Lyon thought of it first."

"Ur, NO!" Gray must have connected the dots. It was the only reason he would blatantly yell something like that in the current situation they were in. Lucy couldn't lose Ur, she couldn't. Lucy had lost everyone else, there was no way she could lose her too. They needed her. All of them.

Ur walked forward, a light erupting off her that had Lucy's eyes hurting, blinded. "Stay back!"

Gray jumped forward but Lucy grabbed his across his chest just in time, pulling him back. She shook her head when he fought back, gripping him tighter until he stopped struggling. There was no way Gray could stop ur, no amount of begging and pleading would stop her. Not this time.

Ur stopped, her stance mirroring Lyon's from only moments prior. A wave of magic energy burst from her, sending them flying backwards.

"I won't let you harm my students _EVER AGAIN!_ Absolute Freeze: Iced-Shell!"

Magic circles surrounded Deliora, locking him in place. Streams of magic flowed from Ur to him, almost as though she was feeding the attack herself – with a spell like this, she was. Everything was happening too fast. There was no time to process, just strike after strike after strike. When would they get a break?

"STOP! _UR_ , NO!"

"It's a sacrifice I must make to save you all. My body will become the ice that seals Deliora for eternity." The glow surrounding her made Lucy squint, she needed to look away, it was too bright, but she was captivated by the true power of her teacher. These would be the last moments of Ur's life. Lucy would never forgive herself if she didn't see them.

"Do me a favour." Ur's voice dropped, calm, almost like she was sad and yet happy. "Tell Lyon I died. If he knew the truth he would spend his entire life trying to undo the spell, and that would make this sacrifice meaningless."

Lucy sunk to the ground, her eyes spewing tears. This was goodbye. This was it.

"I want Lyon to see the world and live a wonderful life. Gray, Lucy… I want the same for you."

"I'LL DO EVERYTHING YOU SAY! Please JUST _STOP!"_

"Don't be sad, Gray. I'll live on. There's no need to cry." The words didn't deter either of them from their grief.

She looked up, watching Ur's body as it shattered, moving towards the ice that was caging Deliora; Ur herself. She could hear Ur though, even as her body disappeared into shards of ice.

"I may not be with you, but I will protect you both from Deliora. Be strong. Make me proud. Lucy, follow your heart and never stop learning. And Gray—learn to forgive. I've sealed away your darkness, it's gone for good. You're free. Please live. I'll be watching."

Lucy watched as Ur disappeared, the light fading until there was nothing except debris, rubble, and a huge capsule of ice with Deliora trapped inside it.

 _But life will call with daffodils_

 _And morning glorious blue skies_

 _You'll think of me some memory_

 _And softly smile to your surprise_

Gray and Lucy grieved, holding each other as they waited for Lyon to wake up. They waited for dawn to come. When they would wake from a sleepless night and move forward. Just like Ur had wanted. They would cry for today, tomorrow they would move on. They would watch the sun rise, and with it, they would start a new day.

West. They would go west. To the land where wizards flourished and where they could grow. West was where Ur would want them. Together.

Lucy's tears were for Ur. They were for the people who had died. They were for her mother, her father, they were for Gray's parents and for Lyon's heartache. She cried for those who couldn't, for those scurrying to rebuild their lives and for those who were at a loss of what to do.

For everyone who couldn't, Lucy cried.

Lyon woke up eventually. Lucy followed through and told him that Ur died. Gray sobbed. Lucy cried once more when Lyon snapped, when he blamed Gray, when he knew his dreams of surpassing Ur had shattered. She cried when Lyon left her and Gray.

She stayed with Gray. She would make sure he was safe, she would make sure he was protected, and then she would worry about herself. Lyon would survive on his own; he knew how to look out for himself. Gray needed companionship, Gray needed someone to tell him how to live.

Lucy would make it her life to lead him, even if it was at the expense of her happiness.

She had magic, slowly it was returning, slowly she would let it grow, and then she would be strong enough to save other people. She would become a saviour to those who couldn't. she would do to other what Ur did for her.

Lucy picked herself and Gray up. Together, they began moving west.

 _You will know where you belong_

 _Just give it time, we'll both be fine_

 _When I'm gone_

* * *

 **Wow, on time? I'm impressed with myself.** **Please let me know what you thought. What will Gray and Lucy encounter? Will it be the last of Lyon?**

 **Leave a review, they keep the fingies typing.**

 **Hope you enjoyed :)**

 **Until next time**

 **~MyFictionalFantasy**


	6. Home

**A little later than anticipated, but still on time.**

 **Go me !**

 **Hope you all enjouy**

* * *

 _ **ALSO:**_ _ **I didn't know this until like last week, but if you finished reading the manga, it's being continued by Hiro Mashima and is called Fairy Tail: 100 Year Quest for anyone who's interested.**_

 _ **Sue me for not knowing sooner, but regardless, it was cause for great celebration on my part**_

* * *

 _I'm a phoenix in the water_

 _A fish that's learned to fly_

 _And I've always been a daughter_

 _But feathers are meant for the sky_

Lucy and Gray travelled from sunrise to sunset. They were both tired, both sick of stealing food and sick of sleeping in the cold. Sure, Ur had prepared them for this when she trained them, but this was different. When Ur and Lyon were with them, they each made the other forget about everything; the cold, any hunger, and loneliness. Gray didn't speak much, but then, neither did Lucy.

She heard him crying in his sleep though, calling out Ur's name but it was never mentioned. Lucy wondered if she did the same – after all, her dreams weren't the most pleasant either. Flashes of her mother, Ur, Lyon, her father, the same smirk on Deliora's face every time. She'd wake up sweating, she usually wouldn't sleep after that though. They had reached the Fiore boarder yesterday, thankfully, they were granted access with no troubles.

They were travelling through Mount Hakobe, the wind was cold against their skin, but they didn't feel it. In a way, this cold, the cold from snow and mountains and harsh winds, was a comfort compared to still, freezing nights. On this mountain, dredging through the snow, Lucy felt as though Ur was there with them.

She savoured the warmth of her teacher, letting her worries about Gray and Lyon slip away. As of this moment, Lucy was in her element – that was enough.

 _With every small disaster_

 _I'll let the waters still_

 _Take me away to some place real_

They stopped at an inn. There was a sign out the front that said children ate free; the place was boisterous, drinks were passed from waitresses to men to women to kids amongst them. Lucy decided that she liked Hargeon, it was a place she found herself feeling comfortable in. She ate at her roast beef heartily, Gray much the same. It was the first proper meal they had had in almost a week.

They didn't speak much, only when they both said how good their food was. Gray took their plates back to the bar, and Lucy smiled and shook her head when the barkeeper began pinching his cheeks.

"Are you by yourself, Miss?"

Lucy looked up at the voice. The man was tall, long, white hair combed back. His face was stern yet gentle. "I'm with a friend."

"And you're a wizard? It's not often you can feel magic come off someone, especially someone so young."

There was a pinch in Lucy's gut. She figured that the magic she had felt during Deliora's attack would have disappeared, but it hadn't. It ached and had her sweating fevers, and generally feeling ill, it didn't help her nightmares either. But there was something about this man that she didn't trust, something that had settled in her that spoke volumes.

"I have magic but it's hard to control."

The man hummed. "My name's Brain – I actually have a facility for young wizards like yourself."

Lucy glanced over at Gray, watching him strip his shirt.

"I teach kids how to control their magic, to grow with it and stabilize it… Do you think you'd be interested in that?"

"I—I'm with my friend, sir, he is fine with controlling his magic, it's not something that he needs—"

"Where are you two travelling to?"

"West, we're looking to join a guild."

Brain considered this. "You want to protect your friends, right?" She nodded hesitantly. "You come with me, I'll teach you how to control your magic, and I'll get you a place to stay for the night. Tomorrow, we'll get your pal into the best Guild in Fiore. How does that sound?"

How could she say no to that? Gray would be safe, she would learn how to control this surplice of magic, then she could protect Gray and Lyon. She'd even be able to bring them all together again.

"Which Guild?"

"Fairy Tail." Lucy's eyes widened. She had heard people talk about Fairy Tail during her travels, the opinions were mixed; some said excellent things, others cursed their existence. Gray would have a chance at normalcy in a Guild, he could grow, he could let Ur's teaching flourish in a way that was completely his own.

Lucy hesitated. "Ok." There was still something too odd about this man; but if he could guarantee Gray's safety – even if it was at the expense of her own – she would do it. Gray didn't need anymore hardships. "I'll do it. But Gray gets to Fairy Tail and I see his stamp before we leave, those are my conditions."

Brain smiled, holding out his hand, Lucy shook it hesitantly. She didn't trust the man, but he could ensure Gray's safety. Even if it did equate to the lack of her own happiness, she would do it. Gray carried the guilt of Ur's sacrifice, if he could live – truly – then perhaps that burden would lessen.

"Who's this?" Gray's voice was accusatory, after all, Ur had taught him magic, not socialisation.

"This is Brain, he's going to take us to Fairy Tail."

Gray chewed a peanut, his eyes narrowed. "Fairy Tail?"

Lucy nodded, "It's the strongest Guild in Fiore."

"Are you sure about this, Lucy?"

Gray's hesitancy was easily understood, even Lucy herself was still partially unsure. She figured if Brain were a true man he wouldn't go back on his promise. Lucy nodded at Gray, smiling, Sure, part of it was forced, but a larger portion of it was excited. They would both get to become mages, they would both live out Ur's wish.

"Well I'll go and book a room, are you two ok with sharing?" They both nodded. It wasn't an issue, with Ur it was perhaps an issue; after traveling and sleeping back to back for a week to create warmth, it seemed like the worst of their worries.

When Gray and Lucy were settled in their room, with the lights off and the tavern below them had quietened, Gray spoke to Lucy. It was different to their one-off comments, somehow it held deeper things.

"Are you sure we're not being set up here?"

Truthfully, no, Lucy wasn't sure. There was no way she could trust a person she just met, but there was nothing there to say that he couldn't be trusted either.

"We'll both be in Fairy Tail tomorrow, that's enough for now. If things don't work out, well then we have to trust Ur's magic. Magnolia is a few hours walk from here, and we're not helpless, Gray."

There was no way Lucy could tell Gray that she wouldn't be joining Fairy Tail, as far as he was concerned, there was only one way they'd split up and it would only be the result of one of them dying. So Gray wouldn't know, she'd leave after she knew he would become a member, and leave no trace of her departure.

"You gotta promise me something, Lucy,"

"What?"

"If this guy's as fishy as he seems, you leave it to me to take care of, right?"

Lucy sighed. "I won't make a promise I can't keep, Gray."

"Your stubborn streak is gonna get the best of you one day."

Lucy rolled over, facing the wall, her back to Gray. She huffed. "Your stripping habit's gonna give you hypothermia one day."

Gray grumbled something she didn't hear, but Lucy smiled anyway. She was glad that the night ended how it did.

"I love you Gray."

She heard Gray exhale, as if he was relaxing for the first time. "Love you too, Lucy."

She fell asleep and dreamt of nothing.

 _Cause they say home is where your heart is set in stone_

 _Is where you go when you're alone_

 _Is where you go to rest your bones_

Magnolia was in front of them. The sign was at least. But they were here, Brain hadn't lied to them, he had taken them to Magnolia, and now, Fairy Tail was so painfully close. Lucy was grinning, Gray had the smallest smile on his face too, but she could still see that darkness looming in his eyes, but for the most part, Gray looked more alive than he had in days.

Brain pulled Lucy aside. "I have some things I need to get in order before we leave, if you want to get your pal introduced in that time, that's fine."

Lucy nodded, "I'll meet you at the southern forest at two?"

Brain nodded at her, smiling. "I'll meet you there. Then we'll get you controlling your magic."

They parted ways after that, Lucy relayed the information to Gray – minus the meet up later on – and together they continued their walk down the main street to Fairy Tail. When they did finally come across the silhouette of the building, it was hard to miss. It stretched upwards for what seemed like miles, the words stuck on top screamed "Fairy Tail". It took Lucy's breath away; already she could feel that this would be Gray's home.

"Maybe they'll know a way to change Ur back." Lucy whispers, partially because she's still in awe of the place, but also because she knows it will pique Gray's interest enough for him to throw caution to the wind. Truthfully, Lucy wants to know too.

Gray takes her suggestion head on as he pushes open the guild doors. Sound hugs them immediately, laughter from tables and tables of wizards. Lucy feels the magic pump through the air, almost like it's in tune to the soft music playing in the background. There's dancing, drinks flying, even the odd two wizards fighting. Immediately something softens in Lucy's gut, this is where they belong.

Gray walks without shame to the front of the bar; there's an old man sitting atop it, he's small, has a funny hat on, but Lucy know not to judge based on appearances. She doesn't have to search far at all to see how powerful this man really is.

He smiles as they approach, "What can I do for you two brats?" The tone he uses is affectionate, Lucy trusts this man; he's different from Brain, the warmth flows off him naturally, no part of it's forced.

Still, no matter how much Lucy wants to stay with Gray here in Fairy Tail, she would only be a danger to Gray – when her magic is controlled, she'll return, then, and only then, will they be together.

Gray's asking about Iced-shell, Lucy waits keenly for an answer, after all, this man is stronger than Ur, he would know.

"I'm afraid that that spell uses the caster's will; by destroying the ice, you would be destroying your teacher."

Lucy's shoulder's slump, she senses Gray's displeasure, the guilt, the sadness, knows that by staying she'll be a reminder. If only she could have done more on that night; if only she had been stronger.

There's a girl looking at her from a table to her right; she's pretty. Much prettier than Lucy. Her hair's pulled into a loose pony tail, a yellow dress contrasting with her brown hair. Lucy walks towards the girl.

"Are you joining?" The girl asks, Lucy looks over her shoulder, watching Gray as he strips his shirt mid conversation. She shakes her head at him and then at the girl.

"No but my friend is…"

"Does he know that?"

Lucy pushes down a grimace. "No, would you give something to him when I'm gone, though? It's perfectly fine if you don't."

The girl nods.

"Paper?" Lucy asks.

The girl takes some from a small satchel and hands it to Lucy along with a pen. She sits down and starts writing her letter. She starts with his name; Dear Gray sounds to formal, so she simply writes Gray. She doesn't tell him when she'll be back or where she's going, but only that she'll return one day. She finishes her letter simply.

 _If something should happen to me, this lilly will melt. Fairy Tail is home for you, I can feel it. Someday I'll be back and it will be my home too. This isn't a goodbye, so until then, see you soon Gray._

 _Lucy._

Lucy smiles, then her lips quirk upwards.

 _P.S: Put your shirt back on!_

Smiling harder, she nods her thanks to the girl, pulls her hands together and creates a lilly flower. It's small enough not to break and uses enough power to keep a secret from Brain. Lucy knows he's using her, so she'll do him the same.

"Thank you." She takes a last look at Gray, and back to the girl. "He's stubborn and sad but give him a while and he's okay." The girl smiles and nods.

"Cana."

"Lucy," She stares at the girl, Cana, and smiles gratefully. "Please don't let him come after me, he'll try but I'll be back as soon as I can."

Lucy looks at Gray, making sure he's distracted as she slips out the door. She runs towards the Southern Forrest, even though she'll get there early. She's surprised when Brain is already waiting.

"Where to?" she asks.

Brain sighs, a forlorn smile slipping onto his face. "It's a marvellous place designed to help youth with magic related issues, we call it the Bureau of Magical Development."

The Bureau of Magical Development was where Lucy decided she'd start her journey; all the way until she was back with Gray and Lyon.

 _As long as we're together, does it matter where we go?_

* * *

 **Okay so on a random note, I always feel like my chapters get boring like halfway through? Idk let me know what you think, maybe I'm right (probably) or I might just be overthinking it.**

 **Thanks for reading, anyway.**

 **Leave a review, they keep the fingies typing**

 **Hope you enjoyed**

 **Until next time :)**

 **~MyFictionalFantasy**


	7. Land of Confusion

**_Wow, I'm not dead!_**

 ** _No I just been not having it good lately._**

 ** _Here's a short and probably underwhelming chapter but it would have been too long if I didn't cut it down._**

 ** _[this has not been editied in the slightest]_**

 ** _So,, pls enjoy :)_**

* * *

 _Now did you read the news today_

 _They say the danger's gone away_

 _But I can see the fire's still alight_

 _There burning into the night._

The Bureau of Magical Development as a strange place. The exterior itself puzzled Lucy. Shaped like a crescent moon, it stood almost as though it was testing gravity; machinery held it together, gears, braces, and support bars making it a strange, yet captivating sight.

From her view outside, she had expected it to be a small place, but, although it was using the magic it taught, it was spacious and seemingly endless. Hallways lined the walls, training rooms were at the top floor, living quarters from the second to third, and the workers lived on the first floor. It was as systematic as Lucy could imagine something being.

Despite her lack of knowledge, she was excited. The spells of dizziness and nausea had increased; to the point where she was sick and passing out. She was thankful that Brain had managed to use his own magic to help her get through the most of it. They had taken a train back to Brago, and headed a little ways north from there, after a day of walking, they were at the Bureau.

Brain had said that after she was in her room, she would be registered, and her training would start immediately. Th worker escorting her to her room didn't speak, simply lead her where she needed to go and opened the door with magic.

The workers were strange too; most did not talk, or if they did, were very cryptic, and all of them wore the same uniform. Strange hats that shielded their face from view. Somehow, that was the creepiest part for Lucy, not even the shape of the building made her as hesitant.

Lucy crept into the room slowly. A bed was pushed up against the left wall and another on the right side of the wall. Bookshelves lined the furthest wall, and circle rugs gave the room enough colour for it not to be boring. He turned to ask the worker who the second bed was for, but the door sealed shut.

Lucy swallowed, realising she was now trapped in this room, with only herself. Even when Ur would take the boys training she never felt alone, they would always return, and they'd repeat it day after day. But Ur was ice, Lyon was gone in the wind, and Gray was in Fairy Tail piecing his life together.

Since leaving him at Fairy Tail, Lucy felt guilt. She had left Gray when they needed each other most. When they were at their worst and had no one but each other, she had selfishly left him in a guild full of strangers.

Lucy felt that dark hatred for herself creep in.

Alongside it grew a headache that couldn't be stopped; torn between stemming from the surplice of magic or the internal conflict she felt towards herself.

Lucy moved to the books, reading the titles that presented themselves to her. Perhaps if she could read she could forget; maybe that could be the escape from everything.

Then again, maybe it wouldn't be and Lucy would be struck back to square one.

It was worth the try though, because if she kept to this toxic path of self-doubt and anger then it would only consume her. Lucy didn't want to ever become something angry. Nothing that could ever be like Deliora. She convinced herself once more that leaving Gray was the right thing to do. When she was halfway through the first chapter of _Elemental Magic_ she had sold the lie to herself.

 _There's too many men_

 _Too many people_

Lucy wasn't sure how much time had passed until the time came where that strange door opened. Somehow, it brought with it an ease to breathe. It wasn't Brain on the other side, Lucy hadn't expected it to be – after all, he ran an elite facility, there were more important things than her – instead it was another masked worker. This person didn't speak much but led her down always and stairs until she was in a room with a bed and another worker.

This worker, Lucy could see. Her face wasn't covered, her eyes were easily seen, and she even looked at Lucy with a slight smile. She didn't waste her time on looks, but opened her mouth rather quickly.

"Come, sit down, sweetheart, we just need to do some of the more basic things, okay?"

Lucy nodded and sat on the corner of the white bed. The lady put gloves on and secured glasses over her eyes. The woman was young, maybe twenty-five, had long, brown hair twisted into an elegant low bun. She had a friendly face, with green eyes that calmed Lucy, even if she did seem slightly pedantic.

"What's your name sweetheart?"

"Lucy."

"Lucy…?"

"Just Lucy." The woman nods and Lucy prides herself on the fact that she is able to successfully lie. Whilst she doesn't know why she does it, she does, and some part of her attributes it to the fact that Brain runs the facility, and Brain gave her heeby-jeebies.

Lucy thought about it. "What's the date, ma'am?"

The woman smiled softly. "It's July tenth, and call me Olivia."

Lucy smiled. "Seven."

Olivia nods and begins writing things down on her notepad, she measures Lucy and takes her weight, as well as testing her reflexes. When she's done, Lucy is sitting back in the chair, and the woman gets out two machines. "Ok, Lucy, I have to give you a stamp, so where would you like it?"

Where would she like a stamp? "What's the stamp of?"

Olivia smiles, "A moon."

Lucy holds out the underside of her right wrist. Olivia holds the stamping machine to it and Lucy jolts at the slight tingling sensation it causes her. Before she can focus on it, the machine is gone and a dark blue crescent moon is on her skin. Olivia then holds up another machine. "Now you can't pick where this one goes, but only you will have it, okay, sweetie?"

"Why only me?" Lucy asks.

Olivia smiles, "Well it's your special number, so we don't lose you."

Lucy nods, "That makes sense." She says slowly.

"Don't worry, I've got one too." Olivia lifts the sleeve on her shirt, pulling her arm across her chest to show Lucy _#7_ in small print. Lucy pulls her arms across in a similar fashion, watching Olivia give her a tight lipped smile as she presses the machine to Lucy's upper arm.

This machine stings more than the other, almost as though she's getting stabbed with little needles, Lucy winces and Olivia mumbles an apologetic sorry, holing the machine there for a minute, give or take, before she pulls it away, revealing Lucy's special number. _#4267._

Olivia stands up and opens the door, letting the worker posted outside know that Lucy was ready to be escorted back to her room. "Come now." Is all they have to say before Lucy is at her feet, following obediently behind them. She keeps track of the hallway numbers and the amount of turns, simply because she's bored out of her mind.

They arrive at her room, the weird door ripples open and Lucy steps forward, listening to it warp behind her, knowing that it will be shut until they need her again. Lucy looks around the room, her eyes meeting those of another girl. Her eyes widen in surprise, not expecting someone to be in the room. The girl has dark, short cropped hair and dark blue eyes. She looks like the girl version of Gray.

"Hello," Lucy says politely.

The girl tsks and looks away, pulling the covers over her shoulder and facing the wall. Lucy feels her smile drop, discouraged. She walks to her own bed, pulling the covers over herself, ignoring the nausea that consumes her.

The room is entirely too quiet, the girl doesn't speak to Lucy at all, and Lucy can barely even hear her breathing. The silence makes Lucy miss Ur, Gray and Lyon so much more. It makes her miss the way Ur would yell at the top of her lungs when the house got too quiet, how Lyon would tease her about falling into insanity, and how Gray would say something about her being a witch and how they'd both get punched in the head for it. Lucy missed the way they'd come to her bickering about it, how she would tell them that Ur only had the best interests in mind and that if they stopped calling her names it would be okay.

She missed their company, still in the routine that they would be coming back from their training any minute now, felt tears well up in her eyes when she told herself that they weren't coming back. Lucy missed everything about them, from Lyon's control issues, to Gray's gloominess, even the weird things Ur would say to her knowing Lucy wouldn't understand.

She missed the way the snow felt when it hit her skin and the way she hated the ice baths Ur would force her into. Lucy sat up in bed, looking quickly at the other girl and watching her deep, even breaths. He put her hands in the position Ur relentlessly drilled into her head. She pulled softly at the strings of magic, watching a golden carnation form in her hands, the finest details in every petal.

"Don't let anyone else see you do that."

Lucy jumped, looking across at the girl, feeling the carnation dissolve into magic particles. "Why not?" she asked softly.

"Because if they know they won't teach you anything else. And when we need to escape, you'll want a few tricks up your sleeve."

Lucy's eyebrows furrowed. "Why would we want to escape?"

The girl went to grasp the blankets, about to pull them over and ignore Lucy's question. Lucy understood the girl's motives, even if it left her confused and feeling more alone.

"What's your name?" she asked hopefully.

"My name is Ultear."

 _Can't you see_

 _This is a land of confusion._

* * *

 **Yeah, not sure how i feel about this one. It's also been a while since I've been on so, I apologise to the people who may have actually been waiting on this.**

 **Hope you enjoyed regardless.**

 **And review really do help, so if you're bothered, don't be afraid to leave one.**

 **Adios, until next time :)**

 **~MyFictionalFantasy**


	8. Ghost Town

_**It's been a hot minute. I'm back, for now, not going to make any promises, but out of all my stories, this is the one I want to write.**_

 _ **I reread all of the comments y'all have left me and literally whipped this up in two hours so I'm apologising in advance**_

 _ **Love you all for sticking with me on this one**_

* * *

 **Ghost Town**

 _Take a walk in a ghost town_

 _The sky is as black as crows_

Ultear was strange. She reminded Lucy of Lyon in a lot of ways. She was cold, determined to become powerful, and had a rough exterior that made Lucy question her plans. Not outwardly, of course. But Lucy was cautious. Brain had brought her here and she didn't trust Brain.

Who knew how long Ultear had been here, how long Brain had been working to get inside her head, weave his way into her subconscious and turn her into a puppet.

Lucy didn't trust Ultear.

She did, however, long for a friendship with her.

Lucy's loneliness became apparent much quicker than she had thought it would. She had only been at the bureau for three days, and yet, she was missing everything that made her enjoy life. She missed Gray and Lyon, and Ur, and snow. She hated the desert, hated that the winds caked dust onto the windows and that the heat seeped through the mechanical structure of this place.

She wanted snowstorms and blizzards and snowmen, and snowflakes.

She wanted everything that made her feel warm.

The entrance to their room opened with a slithering sound, and Lucy looked expectantly at the opening. Three workers stood, all looking at Lucy. Ice trickled down her spine; the bad kind.

"It's time," they said in unison.

Lucy looked at Ultear, in desperate need of not feeling so alone. The girl sunk herself further into her book, ignoring Lucy's pleading stare altogether.

Lucy stood shakily, aware of the tears building in her eyes; something was wrong, something about this place and the people and Brain was all wrong and Lucy wanted nothing more than to escape. She walked over to the workers, they stepped back when she walked through the door and began walking down the hall.

They escorted her down the hall, left at a cross-section, then upstairs on the left, through a security door, through one another, and then, there she was, in the training room. It was bigger than any room Lucy had ever seen. There were three doors coming off of the room she was in – an observation room, she supposed – one that would take them back the way she came, the second leading into a medical room with supplies and a metal table, the last, to a much more ominous place.

There was a deep canyon in that room. Light shone down through holes in the ceiling, casting light on web-like wiring. Large generators and machines stood along the walls, probably powering it. Lucy gulped, looking at the workers as they opened the second door, moving into the medical room. They looked at Lucy expectantly.

"It's time."

She walked hesitantly over. There were two more workers in the room, the original three left, the door sealing shut behind them. Lucy looked at the two workers. One was the woman that gave her the marks, Olivia, the other she didn't know. He wore a uniform similar to the workers, but without the headpiece, instead wearing a mask over his mouth and nose. His eyes were covered with glasses, they seemed to shine menacingly at Lucy.

The wall rippled and opened behind her, Lucy turned quickly, tensing further when she saw Brain. _He needs to trust me._ She forced her shoulders to relax.

"Sorry for not seeing you earlier, Lucy, but I've been very busy making sure you get the best treatment you can."

Lucy looked over her shoulder, then back at Brain. "Thank you for your consideration."

He smiled, it should have been comforting; admittingly, he almost sold the lie. "Now, let's get you up on the table, we have to give you some… medicine to help with the symptoms you have."

Lucy sat on the table hesitantly. Olivia smiled over her, attaching cuffs to her wrists. Lucy jerked away, "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Sometimes the treatment causes the body to twitch or spasm, dear, we're just making sure that we're preventing injuries." Before she could process it, there were cuffs locking onto the left wrist and ankles. The man went to the side of the room where shelves adorn the walls, selecting three different needles, all bigger than any Lucy had ever seen.

He came over to the table, pressing the syringe and making sure the medicine would come out. Lucy felt cold on her arm, her head jerked, watching Olivia move the disinfectant wipe away. "Three, two, one." Lucy watched the first needle go in, wincing the entire time. The man started pushing the syringe, Lucy could feel the numb cold go through her body.

 _See, time moves fast as a hurricane_

 _But it's so strange_

 _It feels so slow_

Lucy felt dizzy, the world was spinning and her eyes were barely keeping up. She tried to speak but found she couldn't. She was tilting, falling, flying, dropping all at once, unable to discern what was up and what was down. Her mind was numb, unable to form a coherent thought.

She felt a sting on her arm, lower than the needle.

She tried to blink away the dizziness, then all of a sudden, the world stilled.

She gasped sharply, eyes wide as she looked around the room with hyper-focussed senses. She heard the Oliva's breathing, felt the end of the needle in her arm, could sense Brain in the room although she couldn't see him. She could taste the ethernano in the air, sweet and bitter and sour and tangy. She focused on it, imagined it all lighting up, like stars in the night sky, fireflies when the night is perfect.

Lucy watched it all move, all shift, swirl and swirl and swirl until it was a tornado of light over her head. It moved closer to her, closer and closer and closer until she could feel it entering her body, filling something inside her until it was full. But it didn't feel full. She needed more, more of the ethernano and the fullness.

Another sting on her arm and Lucy felt like she was stuck in a bad dream. She thrashed and kicked and screamed. Deliora was there, rampaging, killing everything, doing as he was designed and created to do. Her mother, her father, Gray, Lyon, Ur, all there, watching her. Their eyes were gone, empty bloody sockets stared back like marionettes. "It's time. It's time. It's time. It's time. It's time. It's time. It's time—" Lucy shrieked, hands going to her ears to drown out their voices, eyes closing so she didn't have to look. "It's time." She screeched and thrashed, felt something inside unravel and snap, a wave of _something_ coming out of her.

The world went quiet.

Lucy looked up, eyes blurry from tears, sobs wracking her body. She saw Ur first. Her gaping eyes were wide open, ice leg glinting in the moonlight. The only thing that held her up was the golden spear of ice through her chest. Her mother and father were huddled together, shielding themselves from her. Lyon was on the ground, body twisted in a manner no body should be in.

Then there was Gray. He was in front of her. His eyes were gone, but blood tears ran down his face. He was on his knees, praying for her to stop. A vine of ice wrapped around him, constricting, cutting off any movement or sound, digging into his flesh with its thorns. If it weren't for the stillness of his chest, he might have been alive.

Deliora stomped closer to her, grinning, sneering. Lucy shuffled back, praying that he would leave or kill her too. He knelt down, staring at her from his position well above her.

"We're not so different, you and I,"

Lucy wished she could deny it, but as she looked around, at everyone she cared about and beyond, she realised that she had done it.

She sunk further to the ground, hunching over her knees and clutching her ears.

There was something holding her, like the cuffs but coiled. It dug into her skin, wrapped around rather than locked in place. It sliced into her skin; something was wrong. Something was wrong. Something was wrong.

She saw the face of a half moon, half sun, eyes blinded by light shining down on her. She grabbed at the wires, holding on. Something was coming, she knew it, deep in her bones and far into her soul. Pain sparked up the snake-like coils. It wrapped around her, consuming her.

Lucy screamed until there was not another sound in her body.

A dark world consumed her.

 _See the ash and the dust_

 _Feel it slipping through your hands_

 _Falling on the shoes and the shoulders_

 _Of the ragged man_

Gray looked at the lily Lucy left him. It was the same golden colour as her magic, the only real indicator that she had made it. Fairy Tail thrived around him. He longed to be a part of it, desired for it to be his family. But there was a distance between him and the guild.

Only Lucy could fill that difference.

"What's that?" Levy asks. She's nice enough, Gray thought so, anyway. She reminds him of Lucy, always with a book and always wanting to learn. It's nostalgic. Gray doesn't think he should be nostalgic at age eight, but he is. He sinks further into the chair.

"A lily."

Levy hums. "Whoever made it must be very talented."

Gray nods absentmindedly. Levy goes to find Cana after a while and Gray gets fed up with the guild, walking outside and down to the river where he can train.

"Gray right?"

He turns, looking over his shoulder. He frowns at the man. Brain. "Is this about Lucy?"

Brain sighs, looking down. "I'm afraid so."

Gray swallows, "What about her?"

"I'm not sure how much you know, but Lucy sought me out so I could help her control her unstable magic." Gray stayed quiet. "We commenced with an extensive and… thorough training, and unfortunately, she did not survive."

Gray felt a punch to his gut. His eyes watered, he held them back. "Thank you for letting me know. Does she- is, um, where is she buried?"

Brain smiled sullenly, "Unfortunately there wasn't enough of her left."

Gray thought he was going to be sick. He turned and walked away, Brain doing the same. Gray walked down the slope to the river bed, slipping and sliding down, not picking himself up. He held a hand over his mouth, muffling his cries, clutching the lily to his heart.

He did not think of the note that came with it.

 _Sometimes it gets so dark in here_

 _Oh, I see it turn_

 _The emptiness that moves within my soul_

* * *

 **Well, that's that. Just gonna say this once LUCY IS NOT DEAD.**

 **Cool, now that that's been covered, have a lovely day.**

 **leave a review, they literally force the fingies to type.**

 **Hope you enjoyed :)**

 **Until next time**

 **~MyFictionalFantasy**


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